WHY THE 9-5 LIFE ISN’T FOR US

Thanks so much for checking out our travel lifestyle blog. We are Jackson and Jessie, an adventurous couple who have dreams of exploring as much of this beautiful world as possible. We are dedicated to living a sustainable lifestyle by placing importance on experience, enjoyment and adventure rather than focusing on mainstream careers, security, possessions and property.

We are overtly aware of the positives that come with the stability of a fixed location such as a reliable income, the close network of support from friends and family and the familiarity of a home town. This is why a ‘regular’ lifestyle is so common and seemingly valued by so many.

However, we’ve both always dreamed of traveling to countless exotic countries. Like most other hard-working people, the issue of how to fund a life of traversing across the globe can be a difficult puzzle to solve.

We sat down and decided if we wanted it badly enough we would find a way to make it work for us. We won’t be staying in luxury hotels, eating at fancy restaurants and spending hundreds of dollars on expensive tourist attractions and activities. Instead we will explore many different opportunities to access free or discounted accommodation, tours, experiences, food and transport. We will learn from the experiences of others, draw from our own travel experiences, and utilize our skills to create opportunities along our way.

When we first began dating we would share our desires of all the places and cultures that we wanted to experience. Jessie had her heart set on Australia and Africa, while Jackson was happy to go wherever, whenever. Looking back, we never dreamed that we would be living in Hawaii and be in the preparation stages of embarking on the journey of turning traveling into a way of life.

Let us tell you a little bit more about ourselves before we delve any deeper into our travel lifestyle, philosophy and how we will fund our travels.

Jessie is 23 years old and grew up in Oregon, U.S. She has traveled throughout the U.S as well as to Mexico and Canada. She also spent 6 months completing an internship and traveling all around Australia during 2014. Jessie graduated from Oregon State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Digital Communication Arts. She loves yoga, running, and finding fun new ways to workout. Jessie is a bit of a health nut and maybe gets a tad too excited about food. This summer she will be working towards acquiring her 200 Hr. yoga teaching certification.

Jackson is 24 years old and originally from Adelaide, Australia, but has spent the last few years completing college and playing college soccer in the U.S. He spent time at Adelaide University, University of South Australia, Oregon State University and finally graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a Bachelor of Journalism. He developed an interest in photography in June 2015 and has since shot for Surfline as a Local Pro for several months as well as working on a number of freelance assignments. He has been living abroad for over three years and traveled extensively throughout America, Australia as well as spending time in Europe. Jackson has had articles and photography published in Lei Magazine, INHNL, Kikaha Magazine (Island Air), Hawaii Eco Living, Chinatown Now and Mabuhay Magazine (Philippines Air).

Over the past few years together we have both grown more conscious about what is happening in the world due to the places we have visited and the variety of amazing people we have met.

So many travel bloggers start off by telling a story of how they quit their high paying job and decided to begin traveling because they realized that they weren’t happy living the 9-5 lifestyle. By the time we both finished university, we already knew we wanted to avoid joining the regular workforce and begin our travel lifestyle.

This doesn’t mean we won’t be working, we will just be working differently through a combination of the following:

Part of our ideology is to try and never turn down an opportunity, even if it isn’t a lucrative deal or something we dreamt of doing. These opportunities often lead to a new friend, business partner, or chance to be involved in a project that may have never been possible had we not taken the initial risk. This means we often have several projects happening at once and are always looking for the next opportunity to knock on the door. To state it plainly, we are not afraid of hard work.

We are definitely aware of the risk that we are taking by deciding to travel the world. It is very possible that we could run out of money, experience hardships, and fall behind in regular well-paying careers we could have pursued. Despite these risks we know that to us, it’s a lifestyle worth chasing.

Everybody is different. We get judged quite often for not having a real job, not delving into a career, and not planning for the future as systematically as others. On many occasions we have been viewed as unsuccessful or lagging behind but we want to stress that we believe it’s okay to be different. We are all on our own adventure, whether it be building your way from the bottom of an industry to the top, building a new home from the first brick to the last, or traveling the world like us.

We have spent the first era of our lives in Australia and the United States completing our education, enjoying our friends and family, and living in the comforts of the western world. We both grew up with loving families, enjoyed a great upbringing with few wants or needs. Life has definitely dealt us a favorable hand and we are forever grateful for our family, friends, and their ongoing support wherever we may be.

The next period of our lives is all about opportunity, new experiences, immersing in cultures, taking risks and embracing adventures. Our journey is about new friends, new foods, helping others, making a difference when we can, smiling and laughing. It is about pushing ourselves, inspiring others and appreciating everything around us.

This is our Journey Era

We would love to hear from you if you have any questions, stories, or opportunities you think we might like to hear. If you would like to connect with us to work on a collaboration or want to see a specific article about a place we have visited, feel free to get in touch with us via our contact page or directly by emailing us at thejourneyera@gmail.com

31 Discussion to this post

What a nice site you have put together. I will enjoy reading all about your adventures around the island while you call Oahu home. I do hope you get the opportunity to travel SE Asia- There are many wonders to explore. Best of luck on your venture. Enjoy your youth and leave no track untraced!

Hi Jack (and Jessie), it’s so fantastic to see you’re steering your own course. What an exciting time! I hope every day brings you the experiences you’re after and your journey era is long. Have a blast, I look forward to reading about it.

Sounds amazing and fulfilling! Best of luck, I look forward to reading and watching your adventures xxx By the way, sounds like a real job to me, you’re allowed to write your own position descriptions! Takes courage to do that!

Hi! My name is Rachel, I’m 21 and I will graduate college in a couple weeks. You both inspire me so much and give me hope to chase my dream. I spent a semester studying in Hawaii and fell in love. I know it’s the place where my heart belongs. Hawaii constantly keeps me curious and wanting to explore more. I am a studio arts student and plan on doing freelance work/ whatever else I can do to get by. I have been receiving a lot of mixed (mostly not so postive) reactions from people when I tell them my plans to move to Hawaii after college. I am happy for you both. It warms my heart to see two people so happy doing what they love although it might not be the social norm. Thank you for sharing your expirences and brightening my days.

Rachel, we definitely know how it feels to have people doubting the lifestyle we are chasing after. Its hard when people think your dreams aren’t possible or when they think that you should be doing something else that better fits societies idea of what we should be doing. It is always inspiring to hear that there are others out there following their true passions and being creative. 🙂 What island are you planning on moving to?

What a wonderful post! I am so excited reading. I didn’t even finish it and I already wanted to post a comment. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE your guys attitude and plan! I can relate though we’re on slightly different paths! I really appreciated how you said you’re willing to work with people and businesses even if they’re not super successful, and the attitude of the other positives besides monetary! I love you guys so much already! And I’m not one to leave a comment! Or be hyped up about a blog! I am going to be reaching out to you guys!

As Jackson ‘s mum I have been nervous about his and Jess’s journey. However I am so excited and proud of their courage to chase a path less travelled. They are a stunning couple and their willingness to reach out and share with others is indicative of who they are. They are hardworking, generous souls and as much as I wish they were home with us every day I cannot but feel excited about this next stage of their lives. They continue to share their lives with us and our friends every step of the way and we will always be with them …or at least only a Skype away. Xxxx

PS: in 30 days this will be my last day in “normal” job 🙂 what a synchronicity to bump into your article today 🙂 let’s stay in touch! My passion is yoga , I’m teaching adult and kids student and going to bring mindfulness and health and fitness programs to the schools. Namaste!.. Let’s stay in touch

Anya, Thank you! We appreciate you taking the time to check out our post! Congratulations on getting out of your ‘normal’ job and chasing after your dreams! It’s awesome that you’re focusing on schools and helping kids and adults get exposure to yoga! We can definitely stay in touch! Wishing you the best!

[…] who formed Journey Era, their travel blog. They are both recent graduates, and just like us they are not about working the 9-5 life. We fell in love with their beach photos and adventurous personalities. After talking to Jackson […]

Comments are closed.

About Me

Hi I'm Jackson, thanks for visiting my blog! I'm currently adventuring throughout South East Asia, from beaches to waterfalls and everything in between. I am living it up but I also stick to a crazy budget trying to maintain a full-time travel lifestyle.